


The Cherry Blossom Blooms Twice

by Right2nowthen



Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Women, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Gen, Haruno Sakura-centric, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Strong Female Characters, Strong Haruno Sakura, Time Travel, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-29
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-03-10 23:43:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13512228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Right2nowthen/pseuds/Right2nowthen
Summary: Who or what is Inner Sakura? As the fate of the world hinges on this question, Sakura seeks answers... A/N: Indefinite Hiatus due to lack of direction. Sorry.





	The Cherry Blossom Blooms Twice

This is a rewrite of a fic that was lost with my last cell phone. I debated abandoning it, but it's a fun idea, so...this time I'm posting it so I don't lose another 50k words... T_T  
This fic was started over a year ago and was in no way inspired by Katlou303's excellent story, fyi.

Enjoy!

\--  
Sakura let the pale green chakra fade from her fingers, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to keep healing them, she wanted to join them once the last of her chakra was gone.  
She couldn't. Tsunade had taught her better. Even if she used every last drop of chakra in her body they would still die. There was only so much that blood pills and chakra alone could do.  
She cursed her lack of training in genjutsu. She was supposed to be a genjutsu type and yet she was still incapacitated so easily by Sasuke's jutsu. If she had only recovered quicker, maybe she wouldn't have been too late to save them.  
She refused to look at their bodies. Instead she stared at her hands as they lay palm up in her lap, her tears mingling with the blood of her teammates coating them.  
Sasuke had apologized for everything and when it became clear that she wasn't going to be able to heal them, he had given her a look of such great regret and sorrow that it broke her heart.  
Naruto had just smiled softly and reassured her. He whispered his love with that same gentle smile and it had broken her heart all over again.  
In the end Naruto and Sasuke had shared a final glance of mutual understanding as the light faded from their eyes, and she had seen the peace in their faces as they died side by side.  
She knelt in the pool of their blood crying her eyes out for a minute longer before Kakashi caught up. He'd been too chakra exhausted after using susano'o to even free her from Sasuke's genjutsu. There'd been no choice but for her to go ahead alone after she recovered.  
Not that it had done any good.  
Sakura choked a sob.  
"You're late, Kakashi-sensei."  
She heard a faint whine coming from behind her. It sounded like a wounded dog.  
She wanted to comfort him somehow. She knew he was still hurting from losing Obito again. But she couldn't stop crying. She wondered despairingly if she would ever be good for anything other than crying when it really mattered.  
She and Tsunade weren't that different after all.  
Before she could decide whether she would pick herself up or just keep sitting in her teammate's blood, something changed subtly.  
She looked at Naruto and Sasuke's bodies before she blanched at seeing them again. She couldn't look away this time however, as a white, nearly translucent fog rose from their still forms.  
Her eyes wide, Sakura jumped back from the figure coalescing a foot from where she'd been kneeling.  
Kakashi came up to stand next to her, kunai drawn.  
Sakura grit her teeth. They were both too exhausted for a fight.  
The man that appeared hovered in the air, bearing a striking resemblance to Kaguya.  
Sakura's heart sunk even as the thought of joining her boys ran through her mind. She ruthlessly dismissed it. She wouldn't abandon Kakashi.  
The figure looked down at Naruto and Sasuke sadly before finally speaking. His voice was gravelly and speech antiquated.  
"I had hoped things would end better this time."  
His eyes settled heavily on Sakura with all the weight of Kaguya's gaze, but none of the malice.  
"You possess the ability to save my sons. Will you do what is necessary?"  
A dozen questions occurred to her, but she kept her mouth shut. A quick glance at Kakashi showed that he too was assessing the situation carefully.  
By sons he clearly meant Naruto and Sasuke. Hadn't Naruto mentioned something about a guy calling him son? The man who gave them the sealing jutsu.  
"Who are you?"  
"I am Ootsutsuki Hagoromo, although you would know me as the Rikudou Sennin."  
That...explained a lot actually.  
"I have little time for questions, I'm afraid. Will you do what is needed?"  
She glanced at Kakashi, who would normally give her a reassuring eye smile, no matter how fake. Instead he merely looked at her steadily, placing one hand on her shoulder in support.  
She knew whatever she chose he would do everything in his power to help her.  
"What do I need to do?"  
"You will need the aid of the Yamanaka, bring her here quickly."  
Before she could stop him Kakashi took a soldier pill, summoning Uuhei, grumpy expression and all.  
The lanky dog was the fastest of Kakashi's ninken, although prone to laziness like his owner.  
A few words from Kakashi and the ninken was off.  
\--  
When Ino arrived, it was to first look in shock at Sasuke and Naruto's bodies. Her eyes filled with tears, but her voice was steady.  
"He said you needed my help?"  
She directed this to Sakura, obviously avoiding looking at the sage.  
She sounded tired, bone deep weary and Sakura felt the same.  
The sage stares at her, unblinking.  
"I need you to gather the medic's memories and pass them to me, Yamanaka."  
Ino looked at Sakura questioningly, but Sakura could only bring herself to nod weakly. She would take any hope offered to her.  
After a moment's hesitation Ino gestured for her to sit and then placed a hand on Sakura's forehead. The world went dark.  
\--  
Inner Sakura loomed over Ino, the stalwart guardian of Sakura's mind. Her hands rested on her hips, chalk white outline defining negative space.  
"Didn't I tell you never to return, Pig?"  
Her voice was teasing and fond, a good cover for the grief she was undoubtedly suppressing.  
Ino flicked her hair over her shoulder in a practiced gesture.  
"As if your puny defenses could keep me out."  
"Please, you were practically crying after last time."  
Ino smirked.  
"I'd like to see you try that now."  
Inner Sakura didn't respond, merely returned Ino's smirk.  
Ino sighed.  
"So, where are your memories?"  
Sakura's white eyebrows knit together.  
"*I'm* her memories."  
Ino blinked. She had assumed that Inner Sakura was a split personality, but if she was instead a mental guardian...  
Ino was actually impressed. It seemed that Sakura had more mental fortitude than she would've guessed.  
But how to go about completing her task?  
Ino smiled.  
"Can you shrink yourself down? I need to be able to carry you."  
Sakura huffed before making herself the size of a figurine. Ino gently scooped her up and held her in her hand.  
Then she released her jutsu.  
She hadn't been sure if it would work, but she could sense Inner Sakura's presence in her own mind.  
Minds had a tendency to conflate the physical and the metaphysical in convoluted ways that didn't always make sense.  
Thankfully in this case the metaphor of taking Inner Sakura with her had had a straightforward result.  
Ino immediately returned to consciousness. Kakashi had caught her and she muttered a quick 'thanks' as she got back to her feet.  
A quick glance at Sakura revealed her to be unharmed, if a little confused. Ino knew from personal experience how jarring it could be to lose one's mental representation. She'd have to check later to make sure she was handling it alright.  
She walked to the Sage who graciously bowed his head to accept her hand.  
With only a little trepidation she entered his mind.  
A minute later she stumbled back, blinking. The Sage's mind had been a world of its own. A sky full off purple rings and a bright sun mirrored a deep blue sea that contained a bright red moon. She had left a determined Inner Sakura on a small floating island in the vastness. The owner of the mind had been absent, which she was thankful for.  
For a moment the Sage met her eyes, seeming to read her thoughts.  
"Be at ease, I will ptotect her."  
Ino was about to respond when there was a stifled cry from behind her.  
She turned to see Sakura running to Kakashi-sensei's side, who was convulsing.  
"Dammit, too many soldier pills-!"  
Ino grit her teeth, running to Sakura's side. Neither of them were much better off.  
The two girls collapsed to their knees and swiftly began infusing chakra into the copy nin's unresponsive body, futiley trying to save him.  
The Sage watched with weathered eyes as his specter gradually faded from sight.  
And the world. Stopped.  
\--  
Haruno Mebuki was a normal chuunin, with a normal career and a normal husband. By rights, her daughter should have been normal too.  
But she wasn't. Little Sakura was six months old and already walking and talking like a toddler. She was even showing interest in writing, but lacked the fine motor control to do more than draw the characters big and sloppy.  
She was a calm and happy baby and very, very curious.  
She had gotten into Mebuki's kunai pouch that morning and nearly given the woman a heart attack.  
The girl had taken a couple swipes with her double fisted grip before Mebuki got it from her.  
Horrified, she'd yelled at the girl for the first time in her life, instantly regretting it when she burst into tears.  
Then, the unbelievable words had come.  
"Sakura wanna be'a nin-ja like mama and dada!"  
Mebuki had got down on her knees before the precocious girl and hugged her somewhat desperately.  
"Honey, you're too young."  
"Nuh-uh. Wan be nin-ja, wanna train like mama an' dada!"  
Mebuki had promised to think about it, but here she was hours after Sakura had gone to sleep, staring in to the gloom gathering in her kitchen as she cradled a cold mug of tea in her hands.  
She tensed when the door to her apartment opened, Kizashi getting back from his desk job at the intelligence department.  
"Mebuki? What are you still doing up?"  
She looked at Kizashi, expression drawn with exhaustion.  
He rushed to sit next to her, taking her hands in his as his expressive face revealed his concern.  
"Our daughter wants to be a ninja, Kizashi. She wants to start her training already. She got into my kunai pouch today.  
I'm afraid if we don't give her something to do she'll hurt herself."  
Kizashi's face took on a rare, serious cast that didn't match his dark pink hair.  
"You know if she's determined enough there's not much we can do. Remember when she wanted to walk and we had the same concern?"  
Mebuki shot him a fierce look.  
"But she's so young, Kizashi. She doesn't know what a ninja is. If she continues at this rate, she could be drafted into the academy before she's two!"  
Kizashi's brows furrowed, belying his unusually measured words.  
"Sandaime-sama wouldn't allow that, not even with the war with Kumo."  
Mebuki looked at him reproachfully.  
"We both know the Hokage can only do so much. Hatake-san became a jounin in the last war and that Uchiha prodigy is probably going to become a chuunin at least before the end of this one.  
They didn't enter the academy until they were five, Kizashi! Even if her enrollment is held back once she's in the academy we wont have any control over how quickly she becomes a genin."  
Kizashi's eyes grew damp. His wife was beautiful in her desire to protect their child. But he knew that nothing could be done to prevent this.  
"We're ninja, Mebuki. All we can do now is try to prepare her to survive. She's not just our baby."  
Mebuki's face was a mask of impotent frustration. She grit her teeth audibly and Kizashi tried not to imagine how difficult it was for her to contemplate her sweet baby training as a ninja so soon after birth.  
Thinking of his precious, tiny daughter wielding weapons in between hugs and rides on his head had his blood running cold and he wasn't the one that was with her constantly.  
Finally Mebuki seemed to come to a decision.  
"Fine. She's a genius. We'll train her until she's better than both of us and then help her find a teacher that can make the most of her talents while still protecting her. I will ensure that she's so valuable to this village that they wont dare to risk her until she's strong enough to survive!"  
Kizashi let out a quiet sigh of relief. Mebuki had found a solution. Kizashi may have been the 'smart one' between the two of them, but when it came to making things happen, his wife always got her way. Their daughter was going to be just fine.  
\--  
The next day he came home to his daughter walking on the ceiling under Mebuki's careful supervision and tried not to gawk. He knew his daughter was smart, but that level of chakra manipulation at her age should be impossible.  
He shook his head. Mebuki was really outdoing herself this time.  
"Sakura-chan, that's enough for today. Come down please."  
The tiny girl obligingly walked down the wall, likely reinforcing her small body with chakra. To harness her chakra and accomplish so much in one day...Mebuki had been right to be concerned that she would hurt herself.  
"Remember our agreement? No training alone or mama wont teach you anymore. Understood?"  
Sakura grinned toothlessly.  
"Yes, mama."  
Mebuki then pointed imperiously at a stack of books, giving him 'the look.'  
"Your job is to teach her to read and make sure she learns all of that. I'll handle practical training during the day. It'll be awhile until her body is up to taijutsu, so we're starting with wooden shuriken throwing and as much chakra training as she can handle.  
I think we've got about a year before people start to ask questions. We need her to have a good foundation by then so she's ready for specialized training.  
I selected reading material to get her competence in the basic subjects she'll need, along with the basics required for her future field. Let me know if you need anything further."  
Kizashi just nodded silently, being long familiar with his wife's no nonsense attitude.  
"Well, at least she wont be hurting for knowledge."  
He joked weakly.  
Mebuki glared before smiling a little, reluctantly.  
"Ha ha. I'm going to go feed her. Have your first lesson ready by the time she's finished with her nap."  
He grinned good-naturedly in response. Kami he loved that bossy woman.  
\--  
Hiruzen leaned back slightly in his chair. He'd been sitting in this chair for decades and it's soft upholstery cradled his tired old bones. He pursed his lips around his pipe, puffing calmly.  
It wasn't often that people requested a private audience with him, much less inactive chuunin. However, from this particular individual it was less surprising than it might have otherwise been.  
He clearly recalled Haruno Mebuki tagging along after Uzumaki Kushina, happily imitating the rambunctious older girl.  
Still, it had been years since he's seen Mebuki and while he knew she'd left service to have a child, he was unfamiliar as to what she could want to speak to him about so urgently.  
There was a confident knock on his door and he responded by inviting the woman in, only mildly surprised to see the child in her arms. He had, afterall, sensed the girl's chakra.  
"Mebuki-chan, it's a pleasure to see you again. And this is..?"  
"Sakura-chan."  
"Hello, Sakura-chan. Nice to meet you."  
"Nice to meet you, Hokage-sama!"  
She chirped her reply with a big smile and Hiruzen smiled back. It'd been awhile since he'd been around a small child, although...  
He didn't think he was imagining the impossibly developed feel of the girl's chakra.  
Hiruzen tapped his pipe to empty it before adding more and lighting it with a small katon. He watch the girl watch him with uncanny intelligence. Intriguing. He was starting to get an inkling as to what this meeting was concerning.  
"Hokage-sama, I was hoping we might speak in private concerning a sensitive matter."  
Hiruzen puffed silently on his pipe, resisting the urge to palm his forehead. He was far too old for such displays.  
While Mebuki was trying not to draw attention, making such a request would guarantee it. However, if she was there for the reason he suspected he could understand her caution.  
A couple quick handsigns and his ANBU left, a privacy seal activating in their absence.  
"What can I help you with, Mebuki-chan?"  
Determination covered the brief flash of uncertainty that showed on her face.  
"Hokage-sama, I've come to request permission to leave the village with my daughter for the next three to four years. I intend to find Tsunade-sama and convince her to take Sakura-chan on as her apprentice."  
That...wasn't quite what he'd been expecting.  
"I believe I understand your concern, but I'm afraid Tsunade-hime is unlikely to accept her. Besides her general reluctance, Sakura-chan is too young for such rigorous training."  
Mebuki frowned lightly.  
"Respectfully, Hokage-sama, Kizashi and I have taught her the entire academy curriculum over the past year and a half, as well as enough medical fundamentals for her to be an attractive student, even for a member of the Sannin.  
More importantly, I don't want her to attend the academy until she's older. She's much too young. Instead, through medical training I wish to keep her from the field until she's physically ready."  
Hiruzen kept his calm mask as his mind raced. Such a talented child was both an invaluable resource as well as a fragile one that needed to be cultivated properly.  
This was something that his old friend Danzo did not understand. And he couldn't think of anyone better than Tsunade-hime to protect the child from Danzo.  
"If she's accepted as Tsunade's student, then I will approve your plan. However, when she's five she must return to Konoha to take the graduation exam and accept an apprenticeship with one of my ninja. Furthermore, she will be expected to take the chuunin exam as soon as she is deemed ready."  
Mebuki looked like she would argue for a moment before pursing her lips. She understood her position well, as guilty as it made him.  
"Hokage-sama, you'll...look after her, wont you?"  
He softened. Looking at the silent toddler who looked between them with wide, intelligent yet innocent eyes he couldn't help but say.  
"Yes, or course. But Mebuki-chan, the best protection she can have is to make a name for herself by reaching jounin quickly. That way people will think twice before trying to use or manipulate her. As for missions, while I can't spare her that, I can promise that she will be under the protection or one of our strongest. And what path she takes in her career once she becomes chuunin will be up to her."  
Mebuki smiled in relief before bowing as well as she could with a child in her arms.  
"Thank you, Hokage-sama."  
Hiruzen smiled back blandly, knowing in his heart that this was another child that he'd eventually be unable to protect from the ninja world. She'd have to grow strong if she wanted to survive.  
\--  
Kakashi knelt before the Hokage, wolf mask in place. He ignored the woman and child in the room with them.  
"Rise and remove your mask, Kakashi. I have a mission for you. You are to escort these two to their destination."  
He tossed a scroll at Kakashi, which he quickly scanned with his sharingan before destroying. He only barely held back a groan.  
He was to locate Senju Tsunade, all the while familiarizing himself with Haruno Sakura-a baby that the Sandaime wanted him to take as his apprentice after she completed her medical training.  
He'd think this was all a cruel joke, but unfortunately he knew the Hokage was serious.  
He grit his teeth as he thought of the parallels between this and his apprenticeship to Minato-sensei.  
After the mission he'd just have to tell the Hokage he couldn't teach her.  
\--  
"Your name is written with the kanji for scarecrow, isn't it?"  
He stared straight forward sulkily, ignoring the child's giggle. The moment he had brought out Icha Icha, Mebuki had threatened to unman him if he read that filth in front of her daughter.  
It was annoying enough that he couldn't read, but judging by Mebuki's glare he was also expected to play nice. Ugh.  
They were running, Mebuki only carrying Sakura part of the time.  
They weren't tree jumping because Mebuki insisted that running was part of Sakura's training and the girl was too small to jump between branches.  
"Yes."  
His answer was short and clipped. As impressive as the pink-haired toddler's ability to keep up with even a slow pace was, he had no intention of taking her as a student. Ever.  
"Do you have buck-teeth? Is that why you wear a mask? Maybe fish lips? I wanna see!"  
He grit his teeth, ignoring Mebuki's snort of amusement.  
"No."  
"Aww, why not?"  
"Because I said so."  
"That's not a reason!"  
Kakashi's eye twitched while Mebuki explained about respecting people's privacy.  
Still, only a few minutes later the girl spoke up again.  
"So are you gonna be my sensei?"  
Kakashi frowned.  
"No."  
"But Hokage-sama said you would be..."  
Sakura looked at him dubiously.  
"He said it was my choice."  
The toddler crowed in triumph.  
"So he was talking about you!"  
She looked at him appraisingly, while Kakashi resisted the urgh to facepalm. He was more dignified than that.  
"You don't seem like much of a teacher, though."  
Her tone was factual and Kakashi chose not to respond, past caring if Mebuki thought him rude. After a few moments the toddler went back to talking to her mother about their surroundings and Kakashi discreetly sighed in relief.  
The sooner he got this mission over with and got rid of this child, the better.  
\--


End file.
